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Is it really just Christian vs Muslim? Suicide bombing gravely injures Kremlin-backed Ingushetia president Russia’s efforts to crush a growing Islamist insurgency across its southern borders suffered a stinging setback today when a suicide bomber gravely injured the president of Ingushetia. Yunus-bek Yevkurov was wounded when a car packed with explosives was detonated as his convoy drove past. Two bodyguards, including his driver, were killed. The president’s brother and head of security were also badly hurt. The assassination attempt underscores Moscow’s failure to pacify the troubled Muslim republics of the North Caucasus. The region, already the scene of two Kremlin wars in Chechnya, is now in the grip of a major insurgency by Islamist rebels. Russia’s president, Dmitry Medvedev, promised harsh measures against those responsible. He dubbed them “bandits”, while the Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin, called them “Nazis”. But there is little sense that the Kremlin has a clear strategy for dealing with the crisis.

Is it really just Christian vs Muslim?

Suicide bombing gravely injures Kremlin-backed Ingushetia president

Russia’s efforts to crush a growing Islamist insurgency across its southern borders suffered a stinging setback today when a suicide bomber gravely injured the president of Ingushetia.

Yunus-bek Yevkurov was wounded when a car packed with explosives was detonated as his convoy drove past. Two bodyguards, including his driver, were killed. The president’s brother and head of security were also badly hurt.

The assassination attempt underscores Moscow’s failure to pacify the troubled Muslim republics of the North Caucasus. The region, already the scene of two Kremlin wars in Chechnya, is now in the grip of a major insurgency by Islamist rebels.

Russia’s president, Dmitry Medvedev, promised harsh measures against those responsible. He dubbed them “bandits”, while the Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin, called them “Nazis”. But there is little sense that the Kremlin has a clear strategy for dealing with the crisis.



Tags: russiaislam

June 22, 2009, 4:42pm